Clip-loading cap gun



Feb. 14, 1967 w. MOE ET AL CLIP-LOADING CAP GUN Filed Aug. 19, 1965 2Sheets-Sheet 1 s w 5 WM M w M WM 7 7 m u MAR Y B fl 1 M h 10/ 4 3 MW W 56 w W 4 m a Feb. 14, 1967 w MOE ET AL 3,303,593

CLIP-LOADING CAP GUN Filed Aug. 19, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS 1440 22 M45 55/4/4/ A M/AZ M Unite States Patent 3,303,593 CLIP-LOADINGCAP GUN Walter Moe, Plainview, and Edwin A. Nielsen, Oceanside, N.Y.,assignors to Ideal Toy Corporation, Hollis, N.Y., a corporation of NewYork Filed Aug. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 480,954 Claims. (Cl. 4257) Thepresent invention relates generally to cap guns and specifically to animproved toy gun wherein the cap storage and firing mechanisms arecontained within a clip which may be inserted into and removed from thegun.

The traditional cap gun construction uses a hollow body in which iscontained storage space for a roll of caps and a cap-firing mechanismcomposed of a number of levers which actuate a hammer and anvilapparatus. Access to this storage area is achieved through a removablewall or a hinged or pivoted door.

Actual automatic pistols, on the other hand, are provided withbullet-containing clips which are inserted upwardy through the handle ofthe gun. As each bullet is fired, the next bullet in the clip movesupwardly into a firing chamber to be fired by the actuating mechanism.Accordingly, it is desirable to provide in a cap gun a simulation of theclip arrangement which is found in real automatic pistols.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved cap gun.Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a capgun which incorporates a clip-loading arrangement.

One of the advantages of a clip-loading cap gun, in addition to theincreased fidelity to the prototype, is the ease with which a childplaying with the gun can reload the gun. The expended clip may bequickly removed and replaced by a new clip.

Therefore, it is a further object of the present invention to provide aclip mechanism for a cap gun which incorporates both the cap storagemeans and the capfiring means in a single clip whch may be quicklyextracted from and inserted into a cap gun.

A still further advantage of a clip-loading cap gun is the absence ofthe normal requirement of an access panel to the cap storage and firingmechanism areas. This enables the designer to exercise a wide degree ofdesign freedom because of the increased strength of the gun bodyresulting from the absence of large access ports.

In accordance with one illustrative embodiment of the present invention,there is provided a cap gun which comprises a body having a hollowhandle which is so shaped to form a clip-receiving cavity. A clip ofcomplementary shape to the cavity is provided with cap storage and capadvancement and firing means. A trigger is mounted on the body formovement between an inactive position and a firing position in operativerelationship with the cap advancement and firing means when the clip iscontained within the cavity. The toy gun further includes releasablelatch means for releasably securing the clip within the clip-receivingcavity.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features andadvantages of the present invention, will be best understood byreference to the following detailed description of one presentlypreferred embodiment of the invention, when taken in conjunction withthe accompany drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the gun in accordance with thepresent invention, with a portion broken away and showing the clip beinginserted into the gun;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of the clip of the gun of FIGURE 1 withthe cover of the clip removed;

Patented Feb. 14, 1967 FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the capadvancement and firing means incorporated within the clip;

FIGURE 4 is a central sectional view of the gun of FIGURE 1 showing theclip in position within the gun;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIGURE 4 looking inthe direction of the arrows and showing the operation of the releasablecatch means;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view along the ling 6-6 of FIGURE 4 illustratingthe engagement of the clip within the gun;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view along the line 77 of FIGURE 4 looking inthe direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view along the line 8-8 of FIGURE 6 looking inthe direction of the arrows. FIG- URE 8 illustrates the beginning of thecap-firing sequence in the gun;

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of FIGURE 8; and

FIGURE 10 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 9, but showing themechanism immediately after the cap gun has been fired.

In the drawings there is illustrated a gun, generally designated by thenumeral 10, which includes a gun body 12 and a removable clip 14. Thegun body 12 is formed with a handle portion 16 and a barrel portion 18and is generally illustrative in external configuration of actualautomatic pistols. A trigger housing or guard 20 is formed in the normallocation immediately forward of the handle portion 16 and, as may bebest seen in FIGURE 4, a trigger 22 is mounted on the body 12 at atrigger pivot 24. The trigger 22 is spring biased toward the front ofthe gun 10 by means of a coil spring 26 secured to the trigger at 28 andsecured to the barrel portion 18 of the body 10 at lug 30. At its lowerand rearward end, the trigger 22 is formed with a firing extension 32.The trigger is movable from an inactive position as shown in FIGURE 4 toan active position as shown in FIG- URE 8 wherein the firing extension32 protrudes into a clip-receiving cavity 34 formed in the hollow handleportion 16 of the gun 10. The cavity 34 is partially shown in FIGURE 1and is that portion of the body 12 which is occupied by the clip 14 inFIGURES 4 and 8. When the trigger is moved into its firing position, thefiring extension 32 engages appropriate mechanisms in the clip 14 tofire caps in a manner which will be more fully described below.

Clip 14, in the present illustrative embodiment, is formed of a castbody 36 which has a side wall 38, a front wall 40, a rear wall 42 and abase wall 44. A sheet metal cover 46 is pivoted to the clip body 36 atpivot 48 and is movable between a closed position (solid lines in FIG-UR-E 1) and an open position (dotted lines in FIGURE 1). The upper endof the clip is permanently open. Housed within the clip 14 is a capstorage chamber 50 at the lower end of the clip defined by the dividingwall 51 and cap firing and advancement mechanisms 52 on the upper end ofthe clip. A simple cylindrical post 54 is provided at the center of thecap storage area 50 about which a conventional roll of caps R may bemounted. A strip S of caps from the roll R is normally threaded upwardlybetween the dividing wall 51 and the rear wall 42 of the cap body 36.The rear wall is formed at its upper end with an anvil 56 against whichthe caps are exploded by an appropriate hammer.

The cap firing and advancement mechanism 52 comprises an actuating lever58 which is pivotally mounted on post 60 extending upwardly from theside wall 38 of the clip body 36. At its forward end, the actuatinglever 58 has a contact face 62 which is engaged by the firing extension32 of the trigger 22 when the trigger is moved into its firing position.Also pivotally mounted on the post 60 is a hammer 64 which is formedwith a hammer face 66 at its upper end. As may be seen in, for example,FIGURE 10, the hammer face 66 hits flat against the anvil 56 to fire acap. The hammer lever 64 is biased toward its rearward position againstthe anvil 56 by a stiff firing spring 68 which is engaged at one endagainst the front wall 40 of the clip body 36 and at its other endagainst a point along the length of the hammer lever 64. The hammer 64is cocked by the actuating lever 58 through the engagement of a cockingtooth 70, at the upper end of the actuating lever 58, with thecomplementary hammer tooth 72 integrally fromed on the hammer lever 64.When the trigger 22 is moved from its inactive position toward itsfiring position, the firing extension 32 pushes against the contact face62 of the actuating lever 58 and the interengagernent of the teeth 70,72 moves the hammer lever 64 forwardly against the bias force of thefiring spring 68. This may be best seen by inspecting the perspectiveview of FIGURE 3 or by comparing FIGURE 4 and FIGURE 8. The hammer 64 isreleased to explode a cap against anvil 56 when the cocking tooth 70slips ofi hammer tooth 72. This action occurs as follows: The actuatinglever 58 is mounted not only for pivotal movement about post 60 but alsofor translatory movement with respect thereto by means of the elongatedopening 74 formed in the lever 58 (see FIGURES 9 and 10). A camming wall76 on the lower and rearward end of the actuating lever 58 engages acamming post 78 formed on the clip body 36 part of the way through thecocking and firing movement of the actuating lever 58 causing theactuating lever to move upwardly (elongated slot 74 moving upwardlyalong the post 60). As may be seen in FIGURE 10 by comparing the dottedline position of the elements with the solid line position, the cockingand hammer teeth 70, 72 are moved out of engagement by the upwardmovement of the actuating lever '58 at the end of the movement of thetrigger 22 into the firing posit-ion thereby releasing the hammer lever64 and allowing it to move quickly forwardly under the bias force of thefiring spring 68. The force of the spring 68 is sufficient to drive thehammer 64 and hammer face 66 against the anvil 56 at a rate fast enoughand with a force great enough to explode a cap. When the trigger 22 isreleased, the actuating lever 58 returns to the position shown in FIGURE4.

The strip S of caps is advanced with each firing by means of theadvancement link 80 which is pivoted to the actuating link 58 at pivot82. A coil spring 84 is secured between the advancement link 80 at 86and a spring lug 88 and biases the link 80 and the actuating link 58 ina downwardly direction (see FIGURE 3). At its upward and rearward end,the advancement link 80 has an advancement nose 90 which engages againstthe strip S of caps to push same upwardly along the rear wall 42 as theactuating lever 58 is moved through its cocking motion. As may be seenby progressively inspecting FIG- URES 4, 9 and 10, the advancement link80 is effective to move the strip S of caps a unit distance for eachcocking and firing motion. This unit distance is equal to the spacingbetween caps along the strip S. As may be seen in FIGURE 4, a locatinglug 92 is provided on the side wall 38 of the clip body 36 to fix thestarting point for the advancement mechanism and to prevent theadvancement link 80 from pivoting too far downwardly. It should beappreciated that the advancement spring 84 serves not only to bias theadvancement link 86 into engagement with the cap strip S, but alsoserves as the biasing force to return the actuating link 58 to itsinactive position as shown in FIGURE 4.

The clip 14 is guided within the cavity 34 by the locating lugs 34a (seeFIGURE 6) and is secured in the cavity 34 by means of a latching lug 94formed on the rear wall 42 which engages a camming latch 96 mountedwithin the gun body 12. As may be seen best in FIG- URES and 6, thelatching lug 94 is an elongated memher. The latch 96 is formed with acamming wall 98 which, when the clip 14 is shoved upwardly into theclipreceiving cavity 34, is engaged by the upper end of the lug 94. Thelatch 96 is cammed sidewardly (toward the left as seen in FIGURE 5)against the bias force of a latching spring 100 until the bottom end ofthe latching lug 94 moves above the latch 96 (see FIGURE 4). The latch96 then will move sidewardly (toward the right as seen in FIGURE 5) tobring the latching shoulder 102 of the latch 96 beneath the lug 94thereby securely holding the clip 14 within the gun body 12. In order torelease the clip 14 from the gun body 12, the latch 96 may be unlockedby depressing the latch button 104 which extends outwardly of the gunbody 12 (see FIGURE 1) and moving the latch 96 against the bias forcespring 100. The latching shoulder 102 will then move out of engagementwit-h the latching lug 94 and the clip 14 will fall from the cavity 34by the force of gravity. A child playing with the gun 10 may therebyeasily remove one clip 14 from the gun 1i and replace it with anotherclip.

As detailed above, each of the individual clips 14 has a cover 46 whichmay be rotated about the pivot 48 thereby providing easy access for thereloading of the clip with a new roll R of caps. .A child may engage inrealistic play with the gun 10 in simulation of an actual automaticpistol by replacing an empty cap clip 14 with a fully loaded clip.

An important feature of the construction in accordance with the presentinvention is the provision of a body 12 for a cap pistol which is freefrom a requirement for large sized openings at either the top or thesides of the gun. As will be appreciated, the only opening necessary inthe cap gun 10 is the opening to the clip receiving cavity 34 at thelower end and a smaller opening at the other end for the discharge ofthe expended cap strip S. This construction allows for a stronger gunbody to be formed of conventional material such as cast or stamped metaland cast or molded plastics and thus allows ease of design and providingattachments to a gun in simulation of the attachments which may besecured to an actual automatic pistol.

It will be appreciated that there is provided in accordance with thepresent invention a cap gun construction of improved design and improvedfidelity to prototype automatic pistols. Although only one illustrativeembodiment of the invention has been described herein and illustrated inthe drawings, a large number of design variations are possible withoutdeparting from the teachings of the present invention. The most obviouschanges would be the incorporation of an identical or similar clip incap guns of other types such as rifles, machine guns, etc. Furthermore,a cap-firing mechanism and in particular the cap clip in accordance withthe present invention, may be incorporated into an infinite variety oftoys. Accordingly, the following claims should be construed broadly inaccordance with the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A cap-firing toy gun comprising a gun body having a handle portion, abarrel portion and a trigger mounted on said gun body and movablebetween an inactive position and a firing position, said handle portionbeing formed with a clip-receiving internal cavity, said toy gun furthercomprising a clip having a clip body, a cap firing mechanism includingan actuating lever, hammer means and anvil means mounted within saidclip body, said clip being slidably received within said clip-receivingcavity with said actuating lever position to be engaged by said triggerto actuate said cap-firing mechanism when said trigger is moved into itsfiring position, and releasable securement means including latch meansand latching lug means on said clip body and said gun body engageablewhen said clip is slidably received in said clipreceivin-g cavity.

2. A cap-firing toy gun comprising a body having a handle portion, abarrel portion and a trigger mounted on said body and movable between aninactive position and a firing position, said handle portion beingformed with a clip-receiving internal cavity, said toy gun furthercomprising a cap storing and firing clip including a clip body, a capfiring mechanism mounted within said clip body including an actuatinglever, hammer means, and anvil means and cap storage means, said clipbeing slidably received within said clip-receiving cavity with saidactuating lever positioned to be engaged by said trigger to actuate saidcap-firing mechanism when said trigger is moved into its firingposition, and releasable means including a spring loaded latch mountedon one of said clip body and said gun body and a latching lug formed onthe other of said clip body and said gun body engageable when said clipis slidably received in said clip-receiving cavity for releasablysecuring said clip within said clip-receiving cavity.

3. A cap gun comprising a gun body, guide means on said gun bodydefining a clip-receiving cavity, a trigger mounted on said gun body andhaving a firing extension movable between an inactive position removedfrom within said clip-receiving cavity and a firing position extendinginto said cavity, a clip sized to be received within said cavity andhaving means cooperating with said guide means for guiding said clip forsliding movement into and out of said clip-receiving cavity, said cliphaving cap storage means and cap advancing and firing means includinganvil means, hammer means and an actuating lever secured to said clip,said actuating lever located on said clip at a position for cooperativeengagement with said firing extension of said trigger for advancing andfiring caps in said clip upon movement of said trigger from saidinactive to said firing position, and releasable securement means onsaid gun body and said clip respectively for releasably securing saidclip within said cavity including a latch on one of said gun body andsaid clip and a latching lug on the other of said gun body and clip,said clip being completely removable from said gun body and separablefrom said trigger.

4. A cap gun comprising a gun body, guide means on said gun bodydefining a clip-receiving cavity, a trigger mounted on said gun body andhaving a firing extension movable between an inactive position removedfrom within said clip-receiving cavity and a firing positon extendinginto said cavity, a clip sized to be received within said cavity andengaging said guide means during sliding movement into and out of saidclip-receiving cavity, said clip having cap storage means and capadvancing and firing means including anvil means, hammer means andhammer actuating means secured to said clip, said hammer actuating meanslocated on said clip at a position for cooperative engagement with saidfiring extension of said trigger for advancing and firing caps in saidclip upon movement of said trigger from said inactive to said firingposition, and releasable securement means on said gun body and said cliprespectively for releasably securing said clip within said cavity, saidclip being completely removable from said gun body and separable fromsaid trigger.

5. A cap gun in accordance with claim 4 wherein said clip furtherincludes a clip body having an integrally formed front wall and sidewall, said side wall having means defining a cap storage area on oneside thereof and a cap advancement and firing area on the other sidethereof, said clip further including means on said side wall in said capstorage area for supporting a roll of caps, means on said side clip bodyin said cap advancement and firing area providing a pivotal mount forsaid hammer actuating means, said hammer means comprising a hammer leverpivotally mounted on said pivotal mount for movement from a cockedposition to a firing position, spring means biasing said hammer leverinto said firing position, a cocking tooth on said hammer actuatingmeans and a hammer tooth on said hammer lever positioned in operativerelationship for cocking said hammer lever against the force of saidbias means in response to initial movement of said hammer actuatingmeans, means for causing disengagement of said teeth in response tofurther movement of said hammer actuating means for releasing saidhammer lever for movement toward said anvil means, an actuating openingformed in said front wall at the location of said firing extension ofsaid trigger when said clip is in said clip-receiving opening, saidactuating opening providing access to said actuating means through saidfront wall of said clip body, said clip being loadable with a roll ofcaps when removed from said gun.

6. A cap gun in accordance with claim 4 wherein said clip furtherincludes a clip body having an integrally formed front Wall, rear walland side wall, said side wall being formed with means defining a capstorage area on one side thereof and a cap advancement and firing areaon the" other side thereof, means on said side wall in said capadvancement and firing area providing a pivotal mount for said hammeractuating means, an actuating opening formed in said front wall at thelocation of said firing extension of said trigger when said clip is insaid clip-receiving opening, said actuating opening providing access tosaid hammer actuating means through said front wall of said clip body,and a cover mounted on said clip body movable between a closed positionand an open position, said clip being loadable with a roll of caps whenremoved from said gun and when said cover is in its open position.

7. A cap gun in accordance with claim 4 wherein said clip furtherincludes a clip body having an integrally formed front wall, rear walland side wall, said side wall being formed with an upstanding dividingWall defining a cap storage area on one side thereof and a capadvancement and firing area on the other side thereof, said clip furtherincluding means on said side wall in said cap storage area forsupporting a roll of caps, means on said side wall in said capadvancement and firing area providing a pivotal mount for said hammeractuating means, said hammer means comprising a hammer lever pivotallymounted on said pivotal mount for movement from a cocked position to afiring position, said anvil means comprising said rear wall of said clipengageable by said hammer lever when in the firing position, springmeans biasing said hammer lever into said firing position, said capadvancement means including a cap advancement link pivotally mounted onsaid hammer actuating means and engageable with a strip of capsextending from said cap storage area to said anvil means for advancingsaid strip of caps toward said anvil means in response to movement ofsaid actuating lever, an actuating opening formed in said front wall atthe location of said firing extension of said trigger when said clip isin said clip-receiving opening, said actuating opening providing accessto said hammer actuating means through said front wall of said clipbody, and a cover pivotally mounted on said clip body at said pivotalmount, movable between a closed position and an open position, said clipbeing loadable with a roll of caps when removed from said gun and whensaid cover is in its open position.

8. A cap gun in accordance with claim 4 wherein said clip furtherincludes a clip body having a side wall, said side wall being formedwith means defining a cap storage area on one side thereof and a capadvancement and firing area on the other side thereof, said clip bodyfurther including means in said cap storage area for supporting a rollof caps, said hammer actuating means comprising an actuating lever,means on said side wall in said cap advancement and firing areaproviding a pivotal mount for said actuating lever, said hammer meanscomprising a hammer lever pivotally mounted on said pivotal mount formovement from a cocked position to a firing position, said anvil meansengageable by said hammer lever when in the firing position, springmeans biasing said hammer lever into said firing position, a cockingtooth on said actuating lever and a hammer tooth on said hammer leverpositioned in operative relationship for cocking said hammer leveragainst the force of said bias means in response to initial movement ofsaid actuating lever, means for causing disengagement of said teeth inresponse to further movement of said actuating lever for releasing saidhammer lever for movement toward said anvil means, said cap advancementmeans including a cap advancement link pivotally mounted on saidactuating lever and engageable with a strip of caps extending from saidcap storage area to said anvil means for advancing said strip of capstowards said anvil means in response to movement of said actuatinglever.

9. A cap gun in accordance with claim 4 wherein said clip furtherincludes a clip body having an integrally formed front wall, rear walland side wall, said hammer activating means comprising an activatinglever, a pivot post extending upwardly from said side wall providing apivotal mount for said actuating lever, said hammer means comprising ahammer lever pivotally mounted on said pivot post for movement from acocked position to a firing position, said anvil means comprising saidrear wall of said clip engageable by said hammer lever when in thefiring position, spring means biasing said hammer lever into said firingposition, a cocking tooth on said actuating lever and a hammer tooth onsaid hammer lever positioned in operative relationship for cocking saidhammer lever against the force of said bias means in response to initialmovement of said actuating lever, means for causing disengagement ofsaid teeth in response to further movement of said actuating lever forreleasing said hammer lever for movement toward said anvil means, saidcap advancement means including a cap advancement link pivotally mountedon said actuating lever and engageable with a strip of caps extendingfrom said cap storage area to said anvil means for advancing said stripof caps toward said anvil means in response to movement of saidactuating lever, an actuating opening formed in said front wall at thelocation of said firing extension of said trigger when said clip is insaid clip-receiving opening, said actuating opening providing access tosaid actuating lever through said front wall of said clip body, and acover mounted on said clip body movable between a closed positionsubstantially coextensive with said side wall and an open position, saidclip being loadable with a roll of caps when removed from said gun andwhen said cover is in its open position.

10. A cap gun in accordance with claim 4 wherein said clip furtherincludes a clip body having an integrally formed front wall, rear walland side wall, said side wall being formed with an upstanding dividingwall defining a cap storage area on one side thereof and a capadvancement and firing area on the other side thereof, said hammeractuating means comprising an actuating lever, said clip furtherincluding a post extending upwardly from said side wall in said capstorage area for supporting a roll of caps, a pivot post extendingupwardly from said side wall in said cap advancement and firing areaproviding a pivotal mount for said actuating lever, said hammer meanscomprising a hammer lever pivotally mounted on said pivot post formovement from a cocked position to a firing position, said anvil meanscomprising said rear wall of said clip engageable by said hammer leverwhen in the firing position, spring means biasing said hammer lever intosaid firing position, a cocking tooth on said actuating lever and ahammer tooth on said hammer lever positioned in' operative relationshipfor cocking said hammer lever against the force of said bias means inresponse to initial movement of said actuating lever means for causingdisengagement of said teeth in response to further movement of saidactuating lever for releasing said hammer lever for movement toward saidanvil means, said cap advancement means including a cap advancement linkpivotally mounted on said actuating lever and engageable with a strip ofcaps extending from said cap storage area to said anvil means foradvancing said strip of caps toward said anvil means in response tomovement of said actuating lever, an actuating opening formed in saidfront wall at the location of said firing extension of said trigger whensaid clip is in said clip-receiving opening, said actuating openingproviding access to said actuating lever through said front wall of saidclip body, and a cover pivotally mounted on said clip body at said pivotpost, movable between a closed position substantially perpendicularthereto, said clip being loadable with a roll of caps when removed fromsaid gun and when said cover is in its open position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,321,817 11/1919Gehrig 42-57 1,368,402 2/1921 Kilgore 4257 2,108,269 2/1938 Rickenbacher42-57 3,080,672 3/1963 Huber 4257 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, PrimaryExaminer. SAMUEL W. ENGLE, Assistant Examiner.

1. A CAP-FIRING TOY GUN COMPRISING A GUN BODY HAVING A HANDLE PORTION, ABARREL PORTION AND A TRIGGER MOUNTED ON SAID GUN BODY AND MOVABLEBETWEEN AN INACTIVE POSITION AND A FIRING POSITION, SAID HANDLE PORTIONBEING FORMED WITH A CLIP-RECEIVING INTERNAL CAVITY, SAID TOY GUN FURTHERCOMPRISING A CLIP HAVING A CLIP BODY, A CAP FIRING MECHANISM INCLUDINGAN ACTUATING LEVER, HAMMER MEANS AND ANVIL MEANS MOUNTED WITHIN SAIDCLIP BODY, SAID CLIP BEING SLIDABLY RECEIVED WITHIN SAID CLIP-RECEIVINGCAVITY WITH SAID ACTUATING LEVER POSITION TO BE ENGAGED BY SAID TRIGGERTO ACTUATE SAID CAP-FIRING MECHANISM WHEN SAID TRIGGER IS MOVED INTO ITSFIRING POSITION, AND RELEASABLE SECUREMENT MEANS INCLUDING LATCH MEANSAND LATCHING LUG MEANS ON SAID CLIP BODY AND SAID GUN BODY ENGAGEABLEWHEN SAID CLIP IS SLIDABLY RECEIVED IN SAID CLIPRECEIVING CAVITY.